Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

It basically follows the same Gary Sanchez/Will Ferrell formula. It’s filled with tropes and clichés. Will Ferrell is WAY too old to be playing the part. The movie is WAY too long. But I’ll be damned if I didn’t laugh – out loud – many times at this ridiculous thing. And so I guess the question is: is it too long? What’s too long? If funny stuff happens in the sequences that are too long, does that make it worth it? What the hell else is there to do? Do you have somewhere to be? Theatrical comedies, I believe, are test-marketed to death. You’ve gotta keep the bodies moving through the theaters. Sell the Milk Duds. But it’s as though Netflix and/or the filmmakers said, “Fuck it. Just keep all the weird, silly, incongruous stuff in there. Nobody can go anywhere. They’re trapped inside.” It’s a loving send-up of all things Icelandic and all the dreamer singing competitions. It’s an over-puffed confection. But, I mean, what else are you gonna do??

Gangs of New York

It’s my first time seeing this since it came out in theaters 18 years ago. It’s impressive for a lot of reasons. At the time, Daniel Day Lewis was getting all the applause for the method perfection. But that’s not what stands out now. It’s more about the epic spectacle. The sets. The costumes. The stunts. The sheer number of actors and people. This thing must have been a monster to produce.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Remember this name: Taika Waititi – if you don’t know it already. Because the guy seems to be everywhere and he’s producing really quality stuff. This is a basic and perfectly nice child/grumpy old man buddy comedy set in the New Zealand bush. It’s not revelatory and it’s not really suspenseful. But there’s really human performances and a couple of nice zingers. It’s a solid, watchable family film, as long as you can cut through the kid’s thick kiwi accent. What We Do in the Shadows (also from Taika Waititi) is one of my favorite things in any medium (lately) and this serves as a nice, less cynical companion piece.